This invention relates to exception handling in a processor.
A programmable microprocessor, such as a digital signal processor, typically includes exception handling hardware for dealing with errors that may be encountered while processing instructions. For example, the processor may encounter illegal instructions (unsupported opcodes), misaligned instructions, instructions that access protected areas of memory, illegal memory addresses, bus errors and the like.
In the event such an error is detected, the exception handler hardware typically invokes a corresponding software routine, often referred to as an error handler, for responding to the error condition.